touchnovel Chapter 338: Creating an Opening
Chapter 338: Creating an Opening
Adam surged forward, Ouroboros’s Fang blazing in his grip as he closed the distance on the spear-wielder. The Titan’s void-tipped lance swept up to meet him, but Adam was ready."[Abyssal Claw]!"
His free hand shot forward, dark energy raking across the Titan’s chest. The creature staggered, its form flickering, and Adam pressed the advantage, driving Ouroboros’s Fang toward its throat.
The spear-wielder twisted at the last moment, the blade grazing its shoulder instead of striking true. It retaliated with a brutal thrust, the lance aimed at Adam’s heart.
Adam’s Apex Instinct screamed. He threw himself sideways, the lance passing close enough to tear through his cloak. He rolled, came up in a crouch, and lunged again.
"[Monarch’s Pierce]!"
His fist, wreathed in dark energy, slammed into the Titan’s side. The creature stumbled, its form flickering, but it didn’t fall. It recovered quickly, its spear already sweeping toward Adam’s head.
Adam ducked, the weapon passing so close he felt the wind of its passage. He drove Ouroboros’s Fang upward, the blade biting deep into the Titan’s arm. The creature roared, its form convulsing as the golden veins in the blade flared, burning through its shadowy flesh.
But before Adam could press the advantage, the archer fired.
Adam’s Apex Instinct screamed. He threw himself sideways, the arrow grazing his shoulder, leaving a shallow burn. He gritted his teeth, his regeneration already working to close the wound.
’Damn it. Every time I focus on one, the other one attacks. They’re still too coordinated.’
The spear-wielder lunged again, its lance aimed at his chest. Adam’s Abyssal Step carried him through the shadow beneath his feet, emerging behind the Titan. He drove Ouroboros’s Fang into its back.
The blade sank deep. The Titan roared, thrashing, and Adam was forced to withdraw the blade as the archer fired another arrow.
Adam twisted, the arrow passing so close it sliced through the edge of his cloak. He leaped back, putting distance between himself and the two Titans.
His chest heaved. His regeneration was still working, but slower than before. The constant wounds, the void energy lingering in his flesh—it was taking a toll.
He reached into his Pouch of the Hoarding Gnome and pulled out a small vial filled with thick, dark liquid—Ouroboros’s blood. He uncorked it and drank.
[Ouroboros’s Blood Consumed.]
[Temporary Stat Boost: All physical attributes +15% for 5 minutes.]
[Regeneration rate increased by 50% for 5 minutes.]
Adam’s eyes blazed as the warmth spread through his body. The wound on his shoulder closed faster, the lingering void energy in his flesh dissipating. His muscles swelled with renewed strength.
He straightened, his grip tightening on Ouroboros’s Fang.
"Alright. I’m sick of this."
Adam lunged again, his movements faster than before. The spear-wielder raised its lance to block, but Adam wasn’t aiming for it. He was aiming for the archer.
His Abyssal Step carried him through the shadow beneath his feet, emerging directly in front of the bow-wielding Titan. The creature’s burning red eyes widened in surprise as Adam’s blade descended.
"[Ouroboros’s Legacy]!"
The sword blazed with golden light as Adam drove it toward the archer’s chest. But the spear-wielder was already moving—its lance swept up in a desperate block, deflecting the blade just enough to save the archer from a killing blow.
Adam’s eyes narrowed. "Tch."
He pressed the attack, his blade carving a blazing arc toward the spear-wielder. The Titan met him head-on, its lance clashing against Ouroboros’s Fang in a shower of golden sparks. The ground beneath their feet cracked under the force of their blows.
Adam’s grip tightened on the sword. "You’re not going to stop me!"
He drove the blade forward, the golden veins along its surface flaring as it sliced through the spear-wielder’s guard. The Titan roared, stumbling back, its form flickering.
But before Adam could deliver the finishing blow, an arrow struck him in the shoulder.
Adam stumbled, the impact jarring his arm. He glanced at the wound—a clean shot, right through his shoulder. His regeneration was already working, but slowly. The void energy in the arrow was resisting his healing.
The spear-wielder recovered, its lance already sweeping toward Adam’s head. Adam raised his sword to block, the force of the impact driving him back a step.
"Damn it!" Adam snarled, his eyes blazing. "I need to take out that archer first!"
He leaped back, Abyssal Step carrying him away from the spear-wielder. He emerged behind a jagged rock, using it as cover as he assessed the situation.
The spear-wielder was standing guard in front of the archer, its lance raised, ready to intercept any attack. The archer was nocking another arrow, its burning red eyes scanning for Adam’s position.
Adam’s jaw tightened. "So they’re protecting each other. Every time I go for the archer, the spear-wielder blocks me."
His eyes narrowed. ’If I can’t get past the spear-wielder, then I need to take him out first. But the archer will just keep firing while I’m focused on him.’
He needed to create an opening. Something that would force the spear-wielder to drop its guard.
Adam sheathed Ouroboros’s Fang and raised his hands. Dark energy gathered in his right palm, prismatic light dancing across his left.
"[Tempest Sovereign]!"
The vortex exploded from his right palm, tearing through the space between them. The spear-wielder raised its lance to block, its form flickering as the storm battered it.
Adam didn’t wait for the storm to fade. He channeled the prismatic light in his left hand.
"[Prismatic Beam]!"
The rainbow lance shot forward, aimed directly at the archer. The spear-wielder’s eyes widened. It lunged, throwing itself in front of the archer, and the beam struck its chest instead.
The Titan roared, staggering back, its form flickering violently as the draconic essence burned through its shadowy flesh.
Adam’s eyes locked onto the opening he had created. The spear-wielder was still staggering, its form flickering from the Prismatic Beam’s impact. The archer was already nocking another arrow, its burning red eyes fixed on him.
He didn’t hesitate.
"[Abyssal Step]!"
His body dissolved into the shadow beneath his feet, emerging directly behind the spear-wielder. The Titan spun, its lance already sweeping toward him, but Adam was faster. He drove Ouroboros’s Fang deep into its back, the golden veins blazing as the blade sank through shadowy flesh.
The spear-wielder roared, thrashing, but Adam held firm. He wrenched the blade free and swung in a wide, devastating arc.
The blade carved through the Titan’s neck.
The spear-wielder’s head separated from its body, its form dissolving into wisps of shadow that scattered into the darkness. The body collapsed, crumbling into ash before it hit the ground.
But Adam didn’t have time to celebrate. The archer had already released its arrow.
The projectile struck him square in the chest, the force of it driving him back a step. The arrow embedded itself deep, the void energy burning as it resisted his regeneration.
Adam gritted his teeth, stumbling slightly. His regeneration was still working, but slowly—the arrow’s void energy was stubborn.
He reached up, grabbed the arrow’s shaft, and snapped it off, leaving the head buried in his chest. His regeneration would push it out eventually, but he didn’t have time to wait.
The archer was already nocking another arrow.
Adam’s eyes blazed.
"[Aegis of the Colossus]!"
The shimmering barrier flared to life around his body just as the archer released another arrow. The projectile struck the Aegis and shattered, the fragments dissolving into shadow.
Adam lunged forward.
But before he could close the distance, something massive slammed into him from the side.
Adam was hurled across the chamber, crashing into a stone pillar with enough force to crack the ancient rock. He crumpled to the ground, gasping, his vision swimming.
"What—?!"
He pushed himself up, his eyes locking onto the source of the attack.
A massive tentacle, thick as a tree trunk, covered in pulsating veins of void energy, coiled in the space where he had been standing. It retracted slightly, and another emerged from the darkness beside it. Then another. And another.
A flicker of tension crossed his features.
"Tentacles... again?!"
His gaze snapped to the archer, who had lowered its bow, its burning red eyes fixed on him with cold satisfaction. More tentacles emerged from the shadows around it, coiling protectively around its form.
Adam’s gaze swept the darkness beyond the archer. The cavern was vast, and the shadows were deep. He couldn’t see the source of the tentacles—only that they were coming from somewhere in the darkness behind the archer.
A low, guttural sound echoed through the chamber.
The tentacles surged forward.
Adam’s Abyssal Step carried him through the shadow beneath his feet, emerging behind a jagged rock as the tentacles slammed into the ground where he’d been standing. Stone shattered, debris flying in all directions.
"Of course," he muttered, his voice flat. "It won’t be that easy."
The archer was already drawing its bow again, its burning red eyes tracking his movements.
Adam reached up, gripping the arrow shaft still buried in his chest, and yanked it out with a grunt. Blood welled from the wound, but his regeneration was already working, the hole slowly closing.
"Alright," he said, his voice low and cold. "You want to play? Let’s play."
He drew Ouroboros’s Fang, the golden veins along its surface pulsing with light.
"Let’s see how you handle a sword that eats darkness."